Not many people would pass up the chance at having a rent free apartment in San Francisco with breathtaking views of both the bay and the city skyline. But Frank Morris, John Anglin, and his brother Clarence did just that 46 years ago. Though, it should be noted that they were residing on Alcatraz Island, which is notorious for its damp and drafty accommodations.On June 11, 1962, it was go time! With a little arts and crafts know-how and some flatware, the three successfully broke out of the their digs, donned their homemade rain jacket swimmies, jumped into the bay, and were never to be seen again.
Did they make it? No one can say for sure. Officials believe the prison chums became, well… chummy. Others think they made it to shore and got scarce real quick like. On the books, Alcatraz had no successful escape attempts, but this one put an asterisk by that record.
The mystery of the three escapees was never solved, even with Dirty Harry's help. But every year around this time, a triathlon marks the occasion by unloading 1,000 people into the bay to "escape from Alcatraz." It seems a bit like cheating that they get wetsuits and a chaperon though.
posted by -jw-
